PS 3523 

.E313 R6 

1901 





u y y y y u y 




' y y y y \j u 



y 





v^ 










V^K- 






Sw-V*] 






/7#^ 



&*t>k 



*>>^;v 



fc*£3 



fe *• 



./ 



SS\ns 



•*:**£.;•:•:; 



JW 



^^^ 



tt^vft-.^ 



Sv/*'~v: 






ess* 



: «*.•?: 



i*ws 



3a 



'>v- 



^"£££1 



(.»«.%»f •♦• «• 



K:w^-*?vV 






i*Xi 



•£»•& 






:^^l 



&& 



£W 



^ra&££^:&*'&3g 



•.""W?.'- 1 ' 






&*&(: 



mz& 



•ii! 



W*g&fc 



toEW 









3$Nf: 



£&3 



&>&£ 



mmm 



&*?& 



"t'MWJ 



ft* 



tfWiSi 



«$$»& 



'vM' 



■•>:•:• 



v?** 



ft-* 



C\\»$< 



tt&A; 



«?<.«•&••' 



THE 

ROUND RABBIT 

AND OTHER 
CHILD VERSE 

BY / 

AGNES LEE 




BOSTON 
SMALL, MAYNARD # COMPANY 

1901 



Copyright, 1S98, by 
COPELAND & DAY 



Copyright, 1901, by 
SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY 

. ( Incorporated ) 



Entered at Stationers' Sail 



THE LIBRARY OF 

CONGRESS, 
Two Cohim Received 

OCT. 25 1901 

COPVRWHT ENTRY 

CLASS & XXc. No. 

/ <r •) o * 

COPY B. 



VS 3 5« 



University Press • John Wilson 
and Son, Cambridge • U.S.A. 



BY the kind permission of the editors sev- 
eral of these verses are reprinted from 
St. Nicholas, The Youth's Companion, Little 
Folks, Little Men and Women, The Chap. 
Book, Babyland, etc 



CONTENTS 



The Round Rabbit 1 

A Christmas Secret 3 

The Lost Dog 5 

The Toy Balloon 7 

Land of the Clucking Ox 8 

Little Stars 11 

Hildegarde's Courtesies 12 

The Card-Tray 13 

Baby's Morning Kiss 16 

Sometime 17 

A Windy Day 18 

An August Song 19 

The Boy and the Star 20 

Billy's Naps 23 

Bobby's Ambition 24 

The Little Man of Michigan 25 

O Roundy Moon 27 

A-Shopping with a Shilling 28 

Rocking-Horse Race 30 

Little Bob Kimball 33 



IX 



Contents 



Five Little Poppies 35 

Under Peggy's Window 36 

Down the Street To-Morrow Flew .... 37 

Seven Lads 39 

Little Two 41 

Racing with the Moon 42 

The Little Round Square 43 

Each August Day 44 

The Cat and the Baby 46 

The Hospital Child 47 

The Toddler 49 

Vanished June 50 

Tired 52 

The Stroll-Away Sunbeam 53 

Mistress Contraria Brown 54 

To a Little Calendar 55 

A Misty Day 56 

Little Round Daisy 57 

A Child's Grief 58 

The Sleigh-Boat 59 

A Song of the Pine 61 

x 



Contents 

The Little Round Thought 62 

The Play Watch 63 

May's Valentine 64 

Watching for Sleep 67 

Old Song 68 

The Hassock 70 

The Half-Hour Clock 71 

Tommy's Alphabet 73 

Crony Cree 74 

The New Umbrella 76 

The Little Round Torpedo 78 

The City Guide 80 

A Little Girl's Question 82 

Baby 83 

Bye-Low Billy 84 

My Fair Tree 86 

A Boy's Year 87 

The Little Helper 92 

Lullaby 93 

Back in Boston Town 94 

The Pine Tree 95 



XI 



Contents 



A Young Philanthropist 96 

The Moon in the Pond 98 

Finding Things 99 

Stephana's Rings 100 

The Little Square Clock 101 



xu 



THE ROUND RABBIT 



THE ROUND RABBIT AND 
OTHER CHILD VERSE 



THE ROUND RABBIT 

and other CHILD VERSE 



THE ROUND RABBIT 

OH, where is my rabbit, my little round 
rabbit ? 
The flowers tell not, nor the trees. 
He had such a sweet, such a queer little habit 
Of nibbling about in the breeze. 
Oh, give me my rabbit, my little round rabbit, 
To love, and to poke, and to please ! 

I saw a round robin, a little round robin, 

Hop down in the bayberry bend. 

I dropped him a bite on the tip of a bobbin ; 

But never an ear would he lend, 

Though I called : " Little robin, O little round 

robin ! 
Have you seen my little round friend ?" 

— 



The Round Rabbit 



I saw a round stone in the field by the river 

I never had seen there before, 

A little round stone, yet it made my heart quiver ; 

Sad secrets I fancied it bore ! 

And I flung it afar in the full of the river, 

That winced, as I watched from the shore. 

Round stone, did you know of my little round 

rabbit, 
So soft, and so white, and so dear, 
Whose one little pleasure, whose one little habit, 
Was loving each soul who came near? 
Oh ! what has become of my little round rabbit? 
I try not to think, nor to fear ! 

O little round teardrops, away with your winking ! 
For what gleams so bright down the farm ? 
Two small ruby eyes ever nearer me blinking ! 
Oh, something ! oh, something ! so warm ! 
A little round rabbit, a-blinking and winking, 
Once more nestles close in my arm ! 



2 



The Round Rabbit 



A CHRISTMAS SECRET 



N 



OW hark, my dear, before I sleep 
A Christmas secret you shall keep. 



Poor Santa Claus, who longs to give 
To all the little folks that live, — 

Who stores the hearth and piles the shelf, 
Never receives a thing, himself. 

So when I hung my socks, my dear, 
I left a candle burning clear, 

To show a little parcel white, 
And catch his eye at middlenight. 

And soon, in sleep, I hope to seem 
To see him coming in my dream ; 

To see him by the chimney-place, 
With such a jolly, beaming face ; 



The Round Rabbit 



While, at the striking of the clock, 
He, stooping low to fill a sock, 

Shall touch my parcel where it lies, — 
He '11 scarce believe his own blue eyes, 

And read (and for the pleasure pause) : 
" A little gift for Santa Claus ! " 



4 



The Round Rabbit 



j 



THE LOST DOG 

OG along, jog ! 

Out in the fog, 

All to be helping a little lost dog. 



Up street and down, 

Over the town ! 

Hundreds of houses of russet and brown ! 

Here comes the rain! 
There goes the train ! 
O to find doggie his home once again ! 

Weary and wet, 

Where shall we get ? 

Ting-a-ling, dog, let us try it once yet ! 

Swings a door wide : 

Doggie with pride 

And never a " thank you " has trotted inside; 



The Round Rabbit 



Trotted before, 

Through his own door, 

Bob-tail a-wagging, and homeless no more. 

Jog along, jog ! 

Out in the fog, 

All to have favoured that little lost dog ! 



6 



The Round Rabbit 



THE TOY BALLOON 

WITH my balloon I ran at play, 
And loved the deary so ! 
But from my hands it slipped away. 
And I cried to see it go. 

High, high it sailed, and ever so high I 
Oh ! I cried as never before — 
Till I lost its blue in the blue of the sky ; 
And then I cried no more. 

For I knew it had touched the curtain thin 
That hides the stars and the moon, 
And that angel-children had let it in, 
And were merry with my balloon. 



The Round Rabbit 



LAND OF THE CLUCKING OX 

OH, have you heard of that curious land, 
The Land of the Clucking Ox? 
Its ways are hard to understand, 
To judge from Curly locks. 



In a dream she went there, and when she woke 
(And Curlylocks was May!) 
I could but think, from the way she spoke, 
She was glad to get away. 

She stood in a barnyard, so she says, 

As the creatures all drew near, 

And she wondered a bit at their bashful ways, 

Till — she suddenly felt quite queer. 

For, how it happened nobody knows, 

Right there in the noonday sun, 

" I found," says May, " I 'd fordot my tlo's, . 

An' I staid, 'tause I touldn't run! " 

"IT 



The Round Rabbit 




THE LAND OF THE ClUCKIPG OX 



The Round Rabbit 



Then from their little weeping guest 
They turned their blinking eyes, 
And one and all they thus expressed 
Their mild, polite surprise : 

The dog said, " Cock-a-doodle doo ! " 
The rabbit said, " Bow-wow ! " 
The pussy-cat said, " To-whit, to-whoo ! " 
And the portly pig said, "Miaw ! " 

"Cluck-cluck! cluck-cluck!" in censure called 
The ox of russet-red, 

" Baa ! baa ! " the green old peacock squalled, 
" Q,uack ! quack ! " the donkey said. 

For this was the Land of the Clucking Ox, 
And somehow, I must say, 
I have an idea that Curlylocks 
Was glad to get away. 



10 



The Round Rabbit 



LITTLE STARS 

WHY are the stars so very small, 
Away up in the sky, 
And why are lamps so large and tall ? 
I often wonder why. 
And when at eve I lie and rest, 
I wonder which I like the best. 

I find it very hard to think, 

As older fellows do, 

That those same tiny stars that blink, 

If we walked up — close to — 

Would look quite large to little tramps, 

Yes, even larger than the lamps. 



11 



The Round Rabbit 



HILDEGARDE'S COURTESIES 



ri 



1LDEGARDE in a bower of green 
Dropped three courtesies to the queen. 



And oh, and ah, and oh dear me ! 
I wish you had been there to see. 

The first was oh ! so low, so dear, 
The little birds came spying near. 

The next was, ah ! so dear, so sweet, 
Her petticoat fell till it hid her feet. 

The third was, oh ! so sweet, profound, — 
Her bright, long curls they kissed the ground. 

And oh 5 and ah, and oh dear me ! 
I wish you had been there to see ! 



12 



The Round Rabbit 



THE CAR D-T RAY 

LITTLE Mabel 
At the table 
Pulled the cards from mother's tray, 
Overhauled them, 
Tossed and sprawled them, 
In a most untidy way. 

Play forbidden ! 

Cards, half hidden, 

Peeped from out the curtain's gloom. 

Some were tattered, 

All were scattered 

Here and there about the room. 



Then, forgetting, 

Lay she, letting 

Twilight shadows close her eyes ; 

And in sleeping 

Sounds came creeping, 

Voices quaint that seemed to rise 

13 



The Round Rabbit 

" O Miss Trumbull, 

What a tumble ! 

Are you very hurt, my dear ? " 

"Yes, Miss Buel. 

Ah, it 's cruel ! 

Little Mabel dropped me here." 

"Miss McLellan, 

Say, what felon 

Stood you yonder on your head?" 

" Mrs. Drew, now 

Where are you, now?" 

" Underneath the sofa red !" 

Wars were breeding, 

Voices speeding, 

Till there rang a sudden shout : 

"Who hath torn us, 

Rudely borne us, 

Bent our backs and cast us out ? " 

" Mabel did it, 
Mabel did it ! " 
Many voices seemed to say, 

14 



The Round Rabbit 



" Mabel did it, 

Mabel did it ! 

Mabel! Mabel! Mabel! Ma — " 

But their screaming 

Broke her dreaming. 

Nurse had seen them in their plight, 

Helpless lying, 

And was trying 

How to set the matter right. 

Then how spryly, 

Yet how shyly, 

Sprang a little girl before, 

And how gently, 

Penitently, 

Gathered them from off the floor ! 



15 



The Round Rabbit 



BABY'S MORNING KISS 

AMMA, this morning through the roses' 

bloom, 

A lovely angel came into the room. 



M 



He took my tiny fingers warm in his, 

And smiled on me, and begged me for a kiss. 

Oh, he was sweet ! and yet I said " No, no," 
And cried — because the angel turned to go. 

I called, " I '11 give you one in middlenight, 
Or I will give you one at candlelight ; 

" Or, if you'll come in one of my short naps 
During the sunny daytime, then, perhaps ; 

"But do not ask it of me now ; for, ah ! 
I save my morning kiss for my Mamma ! ' ' 



16 



The Round Rabbit 



SOMETIME 

WHEN I ask my father when 
We shall leave the town again, 
Where the houses hide the sky, 
" Sometime," is his one reply. 

When my mother, too, I ask 
When there'll be no daily task, 
And the holidays will be, 
" Sometime, dear," she answers me. 

Often when the bright days throng 
I do long, and long and long 
For the sometime to come true, 
As it never seems to do. 

And I wonder where they are, 
Sometime lands, so dim and far ; 
For to wait I scarce know how ! 
Oh! is Sometime never Now? 



17 



The Round Rabbit 



A WINDY DAY 

THE curtains carouse, 
The shutters are banging, 
All 's wild in the house, 
And everything 's clanging ! 

The restless old floor 
Is creaking and throbbing, — 
And now through the door 
A kite has come bobbing ! 



18 



The Round Rabbit 



AN AUGUST SONG 



W 



HEN the wonder-nights begin, 
Sweet August her way doth win 
To see what things lie hurled 



On the garden of the world. 
She holds out her apron fair, 
And laughs in the silent air, 
As the stars drop in, drop in, — 
When the wonder-nights begin. 



19 



The Round Rabbit 



THE BOY AND THE STAR 

EACH night a star comes forth and smiles, 
A star I call my own ; 
It looks on me from many miles 
Elysian and unknown. 



When mist my star has covered o'er 
And dim its gold appears, 
I think : "It longs to cross my door 
I see afar its tears." 



I fancy it by day unseen 
And wishing day would end, 
Waiting behind the sky's blue screen, 
My little wonder-friend. 

I greet it by a passing bird, 
Or cloud of snow-white rings, 
Entrusting with a tender word 
Whatever upward wings. 

20 



The Round Rabbit 



Once as I lay and watched its face, 
Within my mind I sought 
How I could gain its lofty place, 
And many plans I thought ; 

Till, bedded in my little quilt, 
A carpenter was I, 
And steeple over steeple built — 
Ten thousand steeples high ! 

I climbed them fast, I climbed them far, 
With very eager will. 
But when I reached the top, my star, 
My star was distant still. 

And then I tumbled down, alack ! 
Alack ! I tumbled down, 
Straight through the air, and softly back 
Upon the sleeping town. 

And half awake, and very sad, 

I thought a voice rang true: 

" Since you came not to me, dear lad, 

I '11 try to go to you." 

21 



The Round Rabbit 



Oh, not in dream I saw to-night 
Strange stars come speeding low ! 
Thus some sweet hour my star-delight 
Shall seek my arms, I know. 

And while of that good time I think, 
Like brothers dear we seem, 
And oft through space we talk and blink, 
And laugh about my dream. 



The Round Rabbit 



BILLY'S NAPS 

BILLY has dropped his naps, 
" Dropped them," I heard him say, 
" Out of the window, down — perhaps 
Down in the garden- way." 

Smaller children shall come, 
Searching at noonday bright, 
Shall pick them up and take them home 
And put them on pillows white. 

They shall wade wonder-streams, 
Pluck stranger flower than is : — 
They shall have Billy's naps and dreams, 
And never know they are his. 



23 



The Round Rabbit 



BOBBYS AMBITION 

" f^ AY, what is your plan, 
^^^My Bobby, my boy, 
^-^For when you 're a man, 
And done with your toy?" 

" I 've settled it all. 
When playing shall cease, 
And I shall grow tall, 
I '11 join the police." 

" Then what will you do, 
My Bobby, my sweet?" 
" I '11 stand, the day through, 
A-straddle the street. 

" Oh ! won't it be grand 
To make lazybones hop — 
Or put up my hand, 
And have everything stop ! " 



24 



The Round Rabbit 



THE LITTLE MAN OF MICHIGAN 



A 



LITTLE girl of Michigan 
Declares she saw a tiny man, 



No larger than the least of mice, 
Skating far out upon the ice. 

She thought, " How charming it will be 
To take that small man home with me. 

" I '11 dress him in a coat of blue, 
And he shall sleep inside my shoe. 

" I'll put him in my pocket-O, 
And take him everywhere I go. 

" And proud I 11 be, and show with joy 
So dear a little living toy ! " 

Far o'er the ice she slid, she ran, 
To catch her cunning little man. 

25 



The Round Rabbit 



But as she near and nearer drew, 
That little man, he grew, and grew — 

Till she, quite close, beheld with awe 
The biggest man she ever saw ! 

And fast her feet they slid, they ran, 
Back to the shores of Michigan. 



26 



The Round Rabbit 



O ROUNDY MOON 

OROUNDY moon above the dune! 
This little kindness show me : 
To let me rise and through thine eyes 
Behold the world below me ; 

To let me look on woody nook, 
And river smooth and even, 
And wander down the silver town, 
From hazy heights of heaven ! 



21 



The Round Rabbit 



A-SHOPPING WITH A SHILLING 



A 



-SHOPPING with a shilling on a morning 
crisp and fine ! 

A-shopping with a shilling for that Grand 
papa of mine ! 



I 'm just a little four-year-girl that likes to skip 

and hop, 
But I could save a shilling, yes, and spend it at 

the shop. 

I tried to think what Christmas gift should please 

him most of all, 
And so, of many things I saw, I chose a little doll. 



'T was bought and wrapped and ribboned well 

with silken bow-knots three, 
And placed upon his table, where he 'd be sure to 

see. 

28 



The Round Rabbit 



And Grandpapa was pleased, indeed, as I stood 

looking by. 
I knew it ; for I saw the merry twinkle in his eye. 

But he is such a busy man, so worked of hand and 

head ! 
"Why she is such a little thing, she'll need a 

nurse," he said. 

And I am very happy, for (an honor, you '11 agree) 
Of all the nurses in the town, oh, he has chosen 
me! 



29 



The Round Rabbit 



R O C K I N G-H ORSE RACE 

ON, jolly my Rocky ! 
Your boldest now do ! 
We '11 play there 's a jockey 
Called Jamie the Blue — 



And Tommy the Yellow : 
Myself shall be he — 
A daring young fellow, 
As any may see. 

Now fly for your master ! 
Oh, Jamie has led ! 
Fast, little mare, faster, 
And keep a cool head ! 

How madly we 're racing, 
With never a pause, 
And is it not bracing 
To hear the applause? 

30 



The Round Rabbit 




ROCKIN G-H ORSE RACE 



The Round Rabbit 



On — now we are gaining, 
Brave Rocky, my lass, 
A thousand eyes straining 
To see, as we pass. 

Crowds cheering waylay me, 
The goalpost outrun. 
As there is no Jamie, 
I surely have won ! 



32 



The Round Rabbit 



LITTLE BOB KIMBALL 

NIMBLEDY-NIMBLE, 
Little Bob Kimball, 
Bobby the lively, and Bobby the quick ! 
Had a great fancy for serving a trick. 
Bothersome pranks by the dozen he 'd play. 
Mother was calling the whole livelong day : 

" Where is my thimble? 

O Bobby Kimball ! 

Where are my rings gone? Oh, where is my spool? 

Bob ! leave your hiding, and run off to school. 

Who left the cellar door open for tramps? 

Who sucked the mucilage off of my stamps? " 

Once he went maying. 

While he was straying 

He saw a brown bird sitting under a tree. 

He 'd no wish to harm it — just thought he would see 

How near his stone came to a hit — that was all. 

But off flew the bird, and sang down from a wall : 

"T" 33 



The Round Rabbit 



" Nimbledy-nimble, 

Little Bob Kimball! 

Your way of nimble is not the best way. 

Little Bob Kimball, O try for a day 

Nimble for Good ! and not Nimble for III." 

Said Bob, " Little bird, I don't know but I will." 

Bobby, he tried it. 

As he applied it, 

More sweet and more kindly his little heart grew, 

Till he was a comfort to all whom he knew. 

And now he is welcome wherever he goes, — 

A fine, merry fellow, as every one knows, — 

Nimbledy-nimble, 

Little Bob Kimball. 



34 



The Round Rabbit 



FIVE LITTLE POPPIES 

FIVE little poppies opened their eyes 
One bright May dawn to see the sun rise. 
And as they looked, they said, each one, 
" O how I would like to be the sun ! 
For it rides around the world all day, 
While we stand still in the field," said they. 

Five poppies watched the sun until 

It faded and sank behind the hill, 

And they said : " After such a long trip about, 

The poor old sun must be all tired out ! " 

And they drooped their heads in the grasses deep, 

And five little poppies fell fast asleep. 



35 



The Round Rabbit 



UNDER PEGGY'S WINDOW 

PEGGY 

WELL, little violet, 
With starry dews all wet, 
A-bloom beneath my window ! is this 
reason ? 
Why, it 's neither May nor June, 
And you 've really come too soon. 
What brought you here the first of all the season? 

THE VIOLET 

Ah ! Peggy dear, forgive, 

And let me near you live, 

And take me to your gentle heart, and love me ! 

'T was early, I presume ; 

Yet what could I do but bloom, 

With Peggy and the sunshine up above me ? 



36 



The Round Rabbit 



DOWN THE STREET TO- 
MORROW FLEW 



D 



OWN the street To-morrow flew 
To a little boy she knew. 



" Here I am, my dear," said she. 
" For I heard you calling me. 

" Over many and many a mile 
I have come to stop awhile. 

" But I 've changed (now, would you guess?) 
Both my name, dear, and my dress. 

"Newly gowned and newly shawled, 
Now To-day is what I 'm called." 

Said the boy, as best he might, 
Striving hard to be polite : 

" Thank you very much indeed. 
You were good my voice to heed ; 

" And I 'm very glad you came, 
But you don't look quite the same. 

37 



The Round Rabbit 



" To be frank, when now we meet 
You are not one half so sweet. 

" To be frank, I much prefer 
Seeing you the way you were." 

" Ah, I know ! " To-day replied, 
As she sadly turned aside: 

" That is always just the way ! 
When I 'm known as Yesterday, 

"And have changed my garb once more, 
Leaving you beside your door, 

" You will wish and wish in vain 
That you had me back again." 



38 



The Round Rabbit 



SEVEN LADS 

EVEN lads with seven pence 

Bent their brows with thought intense ; 



S 



Bobby, Peter, Paul, and Nick, 
Bill, and Sam, and tiny Dick. 

Trudged they to the toy-shop then, 
All these merry little men. 

And the trouble ? Never mind ! 
For the shopman, he was kind. 

And he showed his finest toys 
To these seven little boys. 

And they handled everything, 
Ball and kite and top and sling. 

When they 'd stayed an hour or more 
Billy shuffled to the door, 

And he shouted, " Come on, Paul, 
For there's nothing here at all! 

39 



The Round Rabbit 



" Come on, Bobby ! Dicky dear, 
Come, don't spend your money here ! 

"Come on, Sammy, Nick, and Pete- 
Let 's get something we can eat!" 



And they all departed thence, 
Seven lads with seven pence ! 



40 



The Round Rabbit 



L ITTLE TWO 

OH ! little One had silver fine, 
But never silver gift was mine. 
For, don't you know? Of course you do ! 
I'm nobody but little Two ! 

They gave the keepsakes all to her. 
I never had a porringer, 
Nor mug, nor even (fancy, do!) 
A pap-spoon. Pity little Two ! 

Pale Dolly, she was pink and gay 
When she was little One's, they say, 
And so I sigh — and so would you, 
If you were only little Two. 

No matter. I can play and laugh. 
I mean to have my way by half, 
And show them yet what I can do, — 
Although I 'm only little Two ! 



41 



The Round Rabbit 



RACING WITH THE MOON 

WHEN by the river run I will, 
The moon peeps up behind the mill, 
And with a laugh and merrily 
It starts to run a race with me. 

The moon it starts to run a race, 
And nothing seems to keep its place : 
The trees advance with rapid stride 
To meet me, and the houses glide. 

They glide and pass me silently, 
And every window winks its eye. 
All glide to greet, at evening gray, 
Except the moon, that runs my way. 

It runs with me the river past, 
And when I hurry, hurries fast ; 
Or slackens, if I slacken do. 
And when I stop, the moon stops, too. 



4>2 



The Round Rabbit 



THE LITTLE ROUND SQUARE 



O 



BSTINATE Olga could never take rest : 
For alway she wandered upon her quest 
Over the world from east to west. 



The little birds ever did sing and sing : 
" Obstinate Olga, there 's no such thing ! " 
But she bade them all be off and a- wing. 



'a' 



" I '11 find it," she whispered, " by dark or by light. 
I dream it all day and I dream it all night — 
Such a wonderful shape, such a wonderful sight ! " 

The little leaves gossiped together at play. 

A little brook chuckled and ran away. 

" That foolish creature ! " they seemed to say. 

Obstinate Olga shook her sweet hair : 
" Now hush ye ! some summer, some time, some- 
where, 
I surely shall find me a little round square." 



43 



The Round Rabbit 



EACH AUGUST DAY 

EACH August day 
I leave my play, 
And comrades blithe and many, 
To keep all green 
The patch between 
The pine-tree and the jenny. 

While people pass, 

I mow the grass, 

Nor heed them in their wending. 

I must not gaze ; 

For father pays 

A penny for my tending. 

I play the hose, 

Whose water flows 

And bathes the lawn in rivers 

(Or, now and then 

A sleepy hen ! 

Oh, how she runs, and shivers!), 

44 



The Round Rabbit 



Nor let it catch 

The drying batch 

Of clothes upon the jenny. 

When work is done, 

I have my fun, 

And spend my father's penny. 



45 



The Round Rabbit 



THE CAT AND THE BABY 



I 



T 'S in that bundle on the bed, 
The new arrival, Downyhead. 



To-day at dawn I stole aloft, 
And there it lay, so warm, so soft ! 

And I made bold, at what I saw, 
To touch it gently with my paw. 

They sent me off disgraced, forlorn, 
The saddest pussy ever born. 

About the dwelling to and fro 
The busy footsteps come and go. 

I hear glad voices all about, 

There seems some joke ; and I'm left out ; 

For no one heeds my sorry lot — 
Forlorn, forsaken, and forgot. 

And, what seems harder still to bear : 
My plate stands empty by the stair. 

46 



The Round Rabbit 



THE HOSPITAL CHILD 

WHEN gentle sunset floods the sky, 
And just before the gloam, 
They take me to the window high, 
To see the hills of home. 



I look beyond the city street, 

Above the grimy roofs, 

Far from the pavement's noise and heat. 

Far from the clanging hoofs. 

And eagerly my eyes discern 

The hills remote and green, 

And then I stretch my arms, and yearn 

O'er vales that intervene. 



One hill, more green and high than all, 
I love to look upon. 
There stands a house, and voices call 
A weary little one. 

47 



The Round Rabbit 



There by the lamp my mother sits ; 
My father reads his book ; 
My little sister plays or knits ; 
My dog is in his nook. 

Amid the oaks, with pleasant eaves 
The house stands, white, secure. 
Its form is hidden by the leaves ; 
Yet it is there, I 'm sure ! 

Some day this door shall open wide, 
And forth my feet shall go, 
To find the house the branches hide, 
That well my heart shall know. 

To find the dwelling marvellous 
My dreams have made so fair — 
For though I cannot see the house, 
I know the house is there ! 



48 



The Round Rabbit 



THE TODDLER 

OOK up the street, look down the street, 
From out the flowering moss. 



L 



If naught you meet, my toddler sweet, 
Then may you go across. 

Look up the street, look down the street, 
Before you leave the gate. 
If horse's feet the cobbles beat, 
Stand very still, and wait ! 



49 



The Round Rabbit 



VANISHED JUNE 

OH ! have you seen fair June, fair June? 
And whither is she straying? 
And is she trysting with the moon ? 
Or with a star-child playing? 

The sunshine loved her, and the breeze, 
The little breeze that kissed her. 
And we who loved her on the leas 
Scarce loved her, ere we missed her. 

We felt her try to slip away, 
And stretched our hands to hold her. 
Yet well we knew she could not stay, 
If Heaven would enfold her. 

So sweet and happy was her mood, 
So gentle was her laughter, 
So silent stole she from our wood, 
And drew her daisies after ! 



50 



The Round Rabbit 




VANISHED JUNE 



The Round Rabbit 



TIRED 

I AM as tired as I can be. 
I am too tired to take my tea. 
I '11 go to bed with never a bite, 
And rest me well till broad daylight, 
And promise like a wise one then : — 
" I '11 never get so tired again ! " 



52 



The Round Rabbit 



THE STROLL-AWAY SUNBEAM 

A SUNBEAM blithe, in the early day 
Left its father and strolled away 
To find the dark. But all in vain! 
It nestled at bedtime back again. 
Drooping and tired and tearful, it cried : 
" Father, I 've hunted far and wide; 
On earth lay many a gloomy spot. 
Whenever I reached it, lo ! 't was not. 

" Oh, I have hunted everywhere! 

By meadows sweet ; by waters fair : 

I asked the breeze ; I hailed the lark ; 

But, father, I could not find the dark." 

And the father kissed his child, and said : 

" Of course you could n't, young sleepy-head ! 

Why, don't you know? — why, everyone knows — 

There is no dark where a sunbeam goes ! " 



53 



The Round Rabbit 



MISTRESS CONTRARIA BROWN 

HEARD ye of Mistress Contraria Brown? 
Whenshe was up 't was " Oh, to be down ! " 
When she was down 't was " Oh, to be up ! " 
Give her a kitten, she 'd sigh for a pup. 

Countryman Brown, thus plagued of his life, 
Determined on curing his contrary wife : 
He moved her to Boston, where stockings are blue, 
And made her read Sanscrit each morning at two. 

He fed her on beans, and he sent her, for play, 
Up Bunker Hill Monument twelve times a day, 
Without any pity, without any pause, 
Till she was contented to be where she was. 



54 



The Round Rabbit 



TO A LITTLE CALENDAR 

DEAR little friend that faced me here 
All through the mystery of a year, 

Measuring me the days that came, 
Naming me many a pleasant name, 

New bells shall ring, new heralds shout. 
There 's left thee but to wander out. 

Dear little friend ! thy form was sweet, 
As onward trod thy trackless feet. 

Thou knowest, I was glad alway 
To have thee point a darling day. 

But in the west the shadows grow. 
Good-night ! there 's left thee but to go. 

It is the Olden Year's command. 
He comes to take thee by the hand ; 

For yonder gleams an evenstar. 
It 's bedtime, little calendar ! 

55 



The Round Rabbit 



A MISTY DAY 

WALKING through the misty leas, 
Every shade 's a steeple. 
All the people pass for trees, 
All the stumps are people. 

Rubies flash a sudden light : 
Berries 'mid the bracken. 
All the brooks are paven white 
With the clouds that slacken. 

Drenching are the flowers and wan, 
By the quiet river. 
Birches with their nightgowns on 
Stand around and shiver. 

Children, on a misty day, 
Breathe a wonder olden, 
And they love the noon in gray, 
Till it change to golden. 



56 



The Round Rabbit 



LITTLE ROUND DAISY 

LITTLE round daisy alone in the field, 
Where are your little round sisters, I pray? 
Cold blows the wind, and you 've never a 
shield, 
Little round daisy, to keep it away. 

" They are asleep for a little round year," 
Sighed a sweet breath. And the shadow birds 

flew, 
Till, with earth's drowsing, this little round dear 
Drooped low its head, and was slumbering, too. 



51 



The Round Rabbit 



A CHILD'S GRIEF 

THE birdling on the tree 
May ope an eye to see. 
The kitten, too, may blink, 
The baby frog may wink, 
To see the wondrous light 
That shines so round and bright, 
That only wastes its joys 
On little girls and boys, 
Who may not see the moon — 
They go to bed so soon ! 



58 



The Round Rabbit 



THE SLEIG H-B OAT 

N summer, when the stream was high, 
We sailed, my little friend and I, 



I 



Within a wonder-boat of blue, 

Past golden banks where poppies grew, 

And past the towns, while, looking deep 
Adown the dim and watery steep, 

We watched the tottering houses gleam 
And spill their chimneys in the stream. 

But when at last the days were chill, 
And frozen hard were stream and hill, 

Our boat lay far from sight or sound, 
In darkness, idle, attic-bound. 

Yet sunbeams danced, forever warm, 
And charmed us with the same old charm ; 

Till out we brought our Bonny Blue, 
And decked and painted her anew. 

59 



The Round Rabbit 



We fitted her with runners gay, 
And called our little boat a sleigh. 

And now, when streams have ceased to flow, 
We sail upon a sea of snow. 



60 



The Round Rabbit 



A SONG OF THE PINE 

HIGH gale, loud gale ! 
The pine-tree sings to the clouds that sail 
" Hither the moon, gowned in white, 
Into my arms shall leap to-night." 

Swing far, swing wild ! 

The pine-tree sings to the waking child : 

" Sleep soft, sleep soon. 

Oh, but it 's sweet to rock the moon ! " 



61 



The Round Rabbit 



THE LITTLE ROUND THOUGHT 

WHAT are you thinking, little round cat, 
Sitting quite still, as you ought? 
" Oh, sitting all day on my little round 
mat, 
I am thinking a little round thought ! " 

What little round thought are you blinking at, 
Blinking all day in the house? 
" Oh, the sweetest thought to a little round cat — 
The thought of a little round mouse ! " 



62 



The Round Rabbit 



THE PLAY WATCH 

I HAVE a play watch, I have a play watch, 
Deep down in my little pocket. 
I love it as Jim loves butterscotch, 
Or Polly Prang her locket. 

For with never a tic, and never a tac, 
And never a skip aheadtime, 
It *s never too quick, and it 's never too slack, 
And it never mentions bedtime. 



63 



The Round Rabbit 



MAYS VALENTINE 

IT'S up we '11 get!" 
Cried Nurse Jeannette, 
" To feel the sun a- warming. 
St. Valentine 
Will feast and dine, 
And bring you something charming." 

Then dressed they fast 

In ruffles vast 

This best of little creatures. 

But at the pane 

She watched in vain, 

And ah, the sorry features ! 

His laughter done, 

The sober sun 

Behind a cloud went straying. 

A heavy snow 

Began to blow ; 

The boys ran in from playing. 

64 



The Round Rabbit 



" T will be here yet," 

Said Nurse Jeannette, 

" Perhaps at noon, my deary." 

The postman passed, 

In snow and blast, 

And May's blue eyes were teary. 

"It's dark and wet," 

Said Nurse Jeannette, 

" St. Valentine is groping, 

So May, my dear, 

Wipe off that tear, 

And don't you give up hoping ! " 

When twilight came, 

The little dame 

Still peeped from out the curtain. 

The sleet came pelt ! 

She was, she felt, 

Forgotten now, for certain. 

But candleshine 
Brought Valentine — 

T~ 65 



The Round Rabbit 



A valentine so rosy ! 
Nor dreamed the miss 
'T would look like this, 
Surpassing song or posy. 

She jumped for joy : 

A baby boy 

Lay blinking up to greet her. 

A brother ! May, 

You darling, say 

What valentine were sweeter? 



66 



The Round Rabbit 



WATCHING FOR SLEEP 

^ m ^% IS every night I watch for sleep, 

■ Midst weary thought of books and sums, 
^^ And open wide my mind I keep, 
To try to catch him when he comes. 

But Sleep's a fellow very sly! 
I always miss him, in some way ; 
For as at night I watching lie, 
The very next I know, it 's day ! 



67 



The Round Rabbit 



OLD SONG 

WHEN I was a- walking, one day, one day, 
I met a small laddie, a-crying away. 
"Small lad, and what's the matter?" 
quoth I ; 
" Why do you cry, and cry, and cry? " 
" Alack ! " he sobbed, "I 've lost a penny, 
And now, alas ! I haven't any ! " 
" Then dry your eyes," quoth I, " nor trouble, 
Here are two pennies — I make it double. " 
The small lad smiled with pleasure plain, 
But soon began to cry again. 
" What, what ! " said I, " and still a-sighing? 
Now what 's the matter, with all your crying ? " 
"Alack, alas ! " quoth he, quoth he, 
" If I had n't lost one, I 'd now have three ! " 



68 



The Round Rabbit 




OLD SONG 



The Round Rabbit 



THE HASSOCK 

THE hassock was so heavy-O, 
I dropped it plump upon my toe ! 
I could not lift it ; for, you see, 
It was too big for little me. 

It was so big and heavy-O ! 
So heavy-O ! No matter, though ; 
For some day, when I'm old and tall, 
The hassock will be light and small. 



70 



The Round Rabbit 



THE HAL F-H OUR CLOCK 



O 



H dear, oh dear ! " cried little Prue, 
" The old clock's banished for a new! 



" The old with frankness struck the hours, 
And never failed, for sun or showers. 

" But look, to-day, my lessons done, 

I heard it well : the clock struck one! 

" 'T was half-past twelve, as I could see. 
The new clock told a lie to me ! 

" Again I heard, my play begun, 

That single sound : the clock struck one ! 

" < Sir Clock, 1 said I, ' I '11 not obey, 
No matter how much one you say.' 

" I played and played, quite long I played, 
And wandered in the garden shade. 

" Then such a hungry feeling came, 

I knew 't was half-past one. Ah, shame ! 

71 



The Round Rabbit 



" To cheat me of my broth and bun, 

Yet through the door that clock struck one! 

" A very saucy trick, you know, 
To strike three ones all in a row! " 



12 



The Round Rabbit 



TOMMYS ALPHABET 

" ^^L TOW this is A," mamma would say ; 
^J " And tliis is Q,, and this is U, 
■*■ ^ And this is I. 
Now say them — try." 
Oh ! Tommy was a youngster yet 
To learn to say his alphabet ; 
But, bless his heart ! though he was small, 
He knew his letters — almost all. 
So mother pointed, and her son 
Began to name them, one by one. 
"This one?" "It'sB." "And this?" " It 's C." 
"And this?" " It s L ; I know it well." 
" Nay ; try again ! " 
"It must be N." 

" And this one ? " — pointing to an I — 
" That's you ! " was Tommy's quick reply. 
Mamma, the error to undo, 
Now pointed to the letter U. 
Small Tommy pondered ; then quoth he, 
His face aglow with smiles, " That 's me ! " 

73 



The Round Rabbit 



CRONY CREE 

THE children came tripping from out of the 
town, 
All in the sunshine mellow. 
The children came tripping the dingle down, 
And saw a crone in a crinkly gown, 
Who, patting a pudding that cost a crown, 
Sang, " Jack 's a hungry fellow ! " 

" Your name, O crone, what may it be, 

All in the sunshine mellow ? " 

" My name? My name, it is Crony Cree! 

And now, of my name what good have ye ? 

Come help me all to brew the tea ! 

Oh, Jack 's a hungry fellow ! 

" Make haste and clear the dingle up, 
All in the sunshine mellow, 
And gown my cat, and groom my pup, 
And mix the meal in the pewter cup. 
Jack Frost, my friend, is coming to sup, 
And Jack 's a hungry fellow ! " 

74 



The Round Rabbit 



" O Crony Cree, the meal is new — 

The meal is rich and mellow — 

But the little brown mice are marching through ; 

So, Crony Cree, what shall we do?" 

" Oh ! the little brown mice — I mix them, too — 

For Jack 's a hungry fellow ! " 

" O Crony Cree, our toil hath ceased, 
All in the sunshine mellow ; 
The wind is rising in the East, 
The meal is mixed, the pot is greased, 
And now we wait to see him feast : 
For Jack 's a hungry fellow ! " 

" Nay, get ye back to town forthright, 
While still the sunshine 's mellow. 
He'll take a nip, he'll take a bite, 
Wherever he can, by dark or light. 
Then mind ye make your windows tight ; 
For Jack 's a hungry fellow ! " 



75 



The Round Rabbit 



THE NEW UMBRELLA 

OH, Ella! 
With her first umbrella ! 
She walked abroad like any queen. 
She held it proudly for display, 
Admired its handle, stroked its sheen. 
Was ever little girl more gay ? 

Dear Ella ! 

Such a small umbrella ! 

Once in the rain-swept market-place 

I met her ; dripping were her curls. 

She looked, despite her sunny face, 

The most forlorn of little girls. 

" Why, Ella ! 

Where's your new umbrella?" 

Said I ; " the storm has drenched your hair I 

Just see your frock ! just see your hat ! 

And what is this you hug with care, 

A broom, a fiddle, or a cat? " 

76 



The Round Rabbit 



Oh, Ella! 

With her first umbrella ! 

She looked at me and shyly spoke, 

The raindrops pelting on her yet : 

" I have it here beneath my cloak, 

Because, you see, it might get wet ! " 



77 



The Round Rabbit 



THE LITTLE ROUND TORPEDO 

" 1^ T OW have you heard the rumour? 
^W There 's going to be a show. 
^ ^ We 're all in jolly humour, 
For we 're to join, you know, 
A merry time to speed-O ! " 
Said the little round torpedo. 

" The old pavilion's charming, 
In red and white and blue. 
The cheers will be alarming 
To Baby Yanka-doo — 
Yet he 's to take the lead-O ! " 
Said the little round torpedo. 

" The rocket is for Larry, 
The pin-wheel is for Prue, 
The crackers are for Harry, 
But I 'm for Yanka-doo ! 
When I go off, take heed-O ! " 
Said the little round torpedo. 

78~ 



The Round Rabbit 



" His hand is very tender ; 
Yet, though he 's only two, 
His country's own defender 
Is darling Yanka-doo. 
We '11 do a valiant deed-O ! " 
Said the little round torpedo. 



79 



The Round Rabbit 



THE CITY GUIDE 

WHAT garden's that? With pleasure, 
sir! 
The very garden where 
The mad dog ran, that grocer's cur, 
That gave us such a scare. 

This street ? The prettiest street in town. 
Aunt Mary lives on this, 
And Baby Prue walks up and down, 
And never goes amiss. 

The name ? I don't remember ; but 
Why need a small girl know ? 
I 'm sure it 's where I found the nut, 
And lost my bonnet's bow. 

I 'm glad I 've helped you, traveller ! 
No matter what they say, 
A city 's very simple, sir, 
When once you know the way ! 

80 



The Round Rabbit 




THE CITY GUIDE 



The Round Rabbit 



A 



A LITTLE GIRL'S QUESTION 

SWEET-EYED child 
Looked down and smiled, 
As to her breast 

Her doll she pressed, 

Then raised her head, 

And softly said : 

" Mamma, when you 

(Before you grew 

So tall) wore socks, 

And short white frocks 

Above your knee, 

And were, like me, 

A girlie small — 

Was I your doll?" 



82 



The Round Rabbit 



BABY 

WHAT is the baby doing, pray, 
All the minutes of all the day? 
She is too little to talk or creep. 
She can do nothing but sleep and sleep. 
She cannot read, she cannot sew ! 
But she can grow ! 

What does the little baby soul, 
As all the hours strike and roll? 
To it the day is as the night; 
It cannot tell the wrong from right. 
It seems to do nothing but slumber so ! 
But it can grow ! 



83 



The Round Rabbit 



BYE-LOW BILLY 

LITTLE Bye-low Billy 
Roamed up and down, 
Like a white lily, 
Through Dreamland Town. 

Queer little people 
Ran in amaze ; 
The big church steeple 
Stooped down to gaze; 

Women stopped knitting, 
Each ran to her door ; 
The birds stopped flitting ; 
The boats put ashore ; 

Men stopped working, 
And stared, every one ; 
The cook went a-shirking 
The loaves just begun ; 

84 



The Round Rabbit 



The moon fell asunder ; 
Little drums beat, 
To see such a wonder 
Toddle down street ! 

Bill, a bit silly, 
Searched in the skies, 
Dear Bye-low Billy ! 
For the sunrise. 

Bill, a bit weepy, 
To roam, roam, roam, 
Said : " I 'm not sleepy, 
I think I'll go home!" 



85 



The Round Rabbit 



MY FAIR TREE 

OH ! my fair tree was my heart's best, 
Gowned gaily in the green of spring, 
And my fair tree in summer dressed, 
The fairest thing ! 

When down it dashed its veil of gold, 
I loved to see it bow and sweep 
To autumn. But at winter's cold, 
How I did weep ! 

Till in the winter, one sweet night 
I saw it white from top to toe, 
And through it glancing, light on light, 
Great stars aglow ! 

And now forever choose I do, 

As dearest of them all to me, 

The little robe that heaven shines through, 

For my fair tree. 



86 



The Round Rabbit 




A BOYS YEAR 

S I watch the old year go, 
In my memory, like a show, 
■I can see the months pass by, 

One by one, before my eye; 

See them in the leafy street 

Of the garden at my feet ; 

See them pass and hear them talk. 

And how slowly some would walk! 

Just a boy with all his might, 
Seeing all with all his sight, 
Playing hard with all his strength, 
Reaching out to life's full length, 
Eager in a race to run, 
With a heart that beat for fun, 
Slow to freeze and quick to thaw — 
Was what January saw. 

Just a poor form sick and bound, 
Fleeting February found. 

87 



The Round Rabbit 



Cried she : " Follow and rejoice ! " 
But I hardly heard her voice. 
March blew softly in my ear, 
Then more loud, my heart to cheer. 
But I scarcely saw her pass, 
Stepping o'er the frozen grass. 

April tried to comfort me ; 
Laughed, and sang a merry glee. 
How her face with kindness shone ! 
Yet she 'd melt in tears anon. 
Then my wayward tears would start, 
Till I cried with all my heart, 
Cried as lonely fellows may, 
On a cloudy April day. 

But behold ! again I smiled, 
For I saw a beauteous child, 
And I called (I knew her form 
In the yellow sunshine warm) — 
" Give me, May, O, give me, do ! 
Just one little violet blue ! " 



88 



The Round Rabbit 



Then below my window, see ! 
Lovely violets bloomed for me. 

June, the summer's own delight, 
Left me roses red and white. 
And July her rich perfume 
Wafted through my little room ; 
Beckoned me, the livelong days, 
To her quiet woodland ways. 
And I whispered, " Dear July, 
I am coming, by and by ! " 

August glided, one sweet night, 
Down the path of Northern Light, 
Till, with laugh and sudden bound, 
Lighted she on mortal ground, 
While from heaven's golden bars 
Angels pelted her with stars. 
And I longed to join their mirth, 
Looking down upon the earth. 

Ah, September sad and wet ! 
How shall I her face forget ? 

89 



The Round Rabbit 



Darkest month of all my thought, 
For the dreadful dream she brought, 
As I lay one candlelight. 
How the rain fell down that night ! 
Some one whispered in the rain, 
" He will never walk again ! " 

Yet I hailed October well, 
Tingling from the hickory dell, 
Where she left the boys at play, 
Midst the nuts and barberries gay, 
Heaping up the tangled maze 
For the crackling bonfire's blaze. 
" Oh," I thought, " do they recall 
One whose laugh once led them all ?" 

In the cold November blast 
Called I as Hope came at last, 
To the leaves of brown and red, 
Skipping, skeltering ahead : 
" Some day, little leaves, maybe 
You shall run a race with me ; 



90 



The Round Rabbit 



You shall see my faster feet, 
As they twinkle up the street ! " 

Dear December, clad in white, 
She that brought the Holy Night, 
Songful came and tarried long, 
With a message in her song. 
Sweetest month of all of them, 
For her Star of Bethlehem. 
Yes, and in my life's dark cup, 
Look, my starlight filtered up! 

New Year's Day ! with snow and sleet 
Once again beneath my feet ! 
New Year's Day — my pulses swing 
Till, for very strength, I sing ! 
Hail the New Year back again ! 
All the pageant months of pain, 
Safely in my soul secured, 
It is sweet to have endured ! 



91 



The Round Rabbit 



THE LITTLE HELPER 



D 



EAR cook ! she lets me stir the bowl, 
And the sweet flour she lets me roll. 



I 'm really helping, while she makes 
A fine, rich lot of dainty cakes. 

Of all the arts and crafts, now look, 
I 'd like to be a kind old cook! 

I stir, I pat, I roll away. 

Oh ! what a happy sort of play. 

But in the oven when they go, 

'T is all that I 'm allowed to know. 

For little folks may fuss and bake; 
But older people eat the cake ! 



92 



The Round Rabbit 



LULLABY 

ROCKING, rocking, bye- low-bye! 
Kitty-cat is purring, purring, 
And the evening wind is stirring, 
Blowing low, blowing high, 
While the evening shadows creep. 
Rocking, rocking, bye-low-bye ! 
Sleep, my baby, sleep! 

Rocking, rocking, bye-low-bye ! 
Close thine eyelids, little treasure! 
Time another night shall measure. 
Little dreams shall hither fly, 
Nestling 'neath thy lashes deep. 
Sleep, my darling ! bye-low-bye ! 
Sleep, my baby, sleep ! 



93 



The Round Rabbit 




BACK IN BOSTON TOWN 

II ! but it s fine to take a trip 
Along the sunny shore, 
To see strange cities past you slip, 
You never saw before. 

Oh ! but it 's fine to see each day 
Some new thing of renown ! 
To stay a dozen weeks away 
From my sweet Boston Town. 

Oh ! but it 's best to come back home, 

To see the Old South spire, 

And the distant gleam of the State- House dome, 

Like a ball of golden fire. 

Oh ! but it 's best to be back here 
In my play-room, Puss, with you, 
Where all the scenes are freshly dear, 
And all the old toys new. 



94 



The Round Rabbit 



THE PINE TREE 

HALF up the cliff stood the friendly pine. 
I looked aloft from the ocean's line, 
And soft in its branches cradled high, 
It rocked a little baby sk • 

I climbed the cliff, and I looked half down 
On the pine tree clad in its green and brown, 
And soft in its branches tenderlv 
It cuddled a little baby sea ! 

One blustering night, I know not ho" . 
The moon had leaped to the topmost bough, 
And the good old pine, with merry gfcftti . 
Was swinging it madlv to and fro ! 



95 



The Round Rabbit 



A YOUNG PHILANTHROPIST 

MY pennies once I wished to save, 
To buy some pleasant thing — 
Perhaps a dolly decked and brave, 
New mittens, or a ring. 

But when I saw how Maggy pressed 
Her fingers in the storm, 
I wore old mitts, and bought no best, 
That Maggy might go warm. 

I bought me not a single toy, 
But saved a cent instead, 
Or went without some little joy, 
That Maggy might have bread. 

Or I would take another street, 
To shun the organ- man, 
And save a cent for Maggy's feet, 
If stockings were my plan. 

96 



The Round Rabbit 



A hundred cents I counted o'er — 
A dollar rich was I. 
Dear little idlers ; at the store 
I longed to make them fly ! 

But Maggy's door instead I sought, 
As Maggy well recalls. 
And Maggy went to town, and bought 
One hundred taffy-balls ! 



97 



The Round Rabbit 



THE MOON IN THE POND 



DEARLY do I love to linger 
In the scented summer air, 
And to dip an idle finger 
In the pond serene and fair. 

There the moon in wide-eyed wonder 
Down a mile of azure deep 
Slips and shimmers softly under 
Clouds most marvellous and steep. 

Pebbles light as little kisses 
To the water moon I throw, 
And in pleasant, cool abysses 
Sinking down the sky they go. 



98 



The Round Rabbit 



FINDING THINGS 

1LOVE to roam around, 
And look on trees and skies. 
Yet sometimes fixed upon the ground 
I keep my watchful eyes. 

For finding things is fun ! 
Now have you ever tried ? 
One day I found a little bun 
With berries baked inside. 

And once it was a cent, 
And once it was a dime ! 
A corkscrew very oddly bent 
I found, another time. 

I found a little toy, 

Down where the wild brook sings. 

Oh! am I not a lucky boy, 

To find so many things ? 



99 N-Wfc 



The Round Rabbit 



STEPHANAS RINGS 

OH, Stephana's rings were falling 
Over her little flannel gown ! 
They made no jingle as they came down, 
Themselves in hush installing. 

Oh, Stephana's shears were glancing ! 
She filled her hands as full as she might, 
Spread silken rings on her pillow white. 
Oh, Stephana's eyes were dancing ! 

Oh, Stephana's dreams were creeping, 
When we found her shorn on her cloth of gold, 
And we smiled and smiled — for who could scold, 
When Stephana smiled in sleeping ? 



100 



The Round Rabbit 



THE LITTLE SQUARE CLOCK 

THE china dog on the table sat, 
And the ivory elephant smooth and fat, 
And the crystal cat and the little square 
clock. 
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. 

Down came a fairy so dear and sweet, 
Golden-gowned to the tips of her feet. 
No taller she was than a light, soft quill, 
And she bade them wish (as fairies will). 

Loud rose the dog's beseeching wail: 
" I have lost my tail, I have lost my tail ! 
O fairy free, if thy power be true, 
Give me a new, give me a new ! " 

Up spake the elephant, spirit-sunk : 

" I have lost my trunk, I have lost my trunk ! 

O fairy free, if thy power be true, 

Give me a new, give me a new ! " 

101 



The Round Rabbit 



Quoth the crystal cat, " I much rejoice ! 
I have lost my voice, Oh, I 've lost my voice ! 
O fairy free, if thy power be true, 
Give me a m-e-w, give me a m-e-w ! " 

The fairy's wand had a wondrous quirk. 
Each gift came forth and began its work. 
And then she saw (and she turned quite red) 
She 'd forgotten the little square clock, which said 

" My corners have never a crick or crack, 
My hands are whole. I have n't a lack. 
O fairy free ; dost bid me choose ? 
Give, O, give me something to lose ! " 

The crystal cat mewed a silent mew. 
The dog and the elephant wondered, too. 
The fairy nodded a nod sublime, 
And flourished her wand, and gave it Time. 

She gave it Time, since when the grace 
Of satisfaction is on its face, 
And all day long, all night, 'twill sit, 
Losing and losing and losing it. 

102 



JTOV 18 KTA 



N^Wj 






1 •***«. • 






ta/i% 



»*« 



ti» 



«W 



V^K 



S-:v 



?^£&I&& 






ife 



.•»<?•■♦• *».< 



>«•..« 

i •!«•• 



.'<-•; -'.-ja 



i*£-.i 









'vii: 






'.&&. 



mmmzmm 






Sv##&& 



WAtti 



mm 



uy-:v 









@«ff^%AiS»l^i^%£ 



^ 



KSU 



'•wtfTsA 



138 



! v*i#™M 



ft&^&Vtffrai 



MKK 






•^i 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS^ 

1 1 III III II III II III fIJ 1 1, 

015 908 890 A *%0\ 



